Re-description of Balitora yingjiangensis (Teleostei, Cypriniformes, Balitoridae) from the upper Irrawaddy River, south-western China

The genus Balitora Grey, 1830 (Teleostei, Cypriniformes, Balitoridae) includes 20 species, with two known species distributed in the Salween River and one in the Irrawaddy River.A Balitora species from the Irrawaddy River, Balitora yingjiangensis, which was previously mistakenly classified as Hemimyzon, is re-described through examination of type specimens and collection of topotypic specimens from the Jieyanghe River, a tributary of the Irrawaddy River in Nabang Town, Yingjiang County, Yunnan Province, China.

Balitora yingjiangensis differs from all congeners by the following combination of characters: one pair of maxillary barbels; short predorsal length, 43.48%-36.13% SL; slender caudal peduncle, length of caudal peduncle 3.71-4.47 times of depth; shallow caudal peduncle, height of which 4.14%-4.84% SL. Molecular phylogenetic analysis supports the validity of this species and suggests a wide distribution throughout the Chinese and Burmese Irrawaddy.